9?-O Table of Contents
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FISHERY INVESTIGATION OF LAKE MEAD, ARIZONA-NEVADA, FROM SEPARATION RAPIDS TO BOULDER CANYON, 1978-79 by Terry C. McCall Arizona Game and Fish Department Region III Office Kingman, Arizona 86401 Final Report Contract Number 8-07-30-X0025 U.S. Department of the Interior, Water and Power Resources Service Lower Colorado River Region Boulder City, Nevada 89005 /9?-o TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................... LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................... INTRODUCTION ......1 DESCRIPTION OF LAKE MEAD ................................................................ 2 History of the Lake Mead Fishery ......5 METHODS AND MATERIALS ......9 Aquatic and Riparian Vegetation .... 10 Aquatic Invertebrates .... 10 Zooplankton .......................................................................................... 10 Zoobenthos ............................................................................................ 10 Fish ................................................................................................ 10 RESULTS ................................................................................................ 12 Aquatic and Riparian Vegetation .... 12 Aquatic Invertebrates ......................................................15 Zooplankton........................................................................................... 15 Zoobenthos ..............................16 Fish ................................................................................................ 23 Relative abundance .... 23 Disease ....................................................................................... 43 Life histories .................................48 native species .... 48 speckled dace, Rhinichthys oscaws (Girard) ........................ 48 razorback (humpback) sucker, Xykauchen texanws (Abbott) ...... 52 flannelmouth sucker, Cataotomm tatipirmiz (Baird and Girard) .......................................................................... 60 bluehead mountain-sucker, Pantoztews dizcobotu6(Cope) ............. 63 introduced species .................................................................. 66 threadfin shad, Doltozoma petenense (Gunther) ....................... 66 rainbow trout, Sam gailtdnoti. ( Richardson) ....................... 71. carp, Cypninuz caApio (Linnaeus) ......................................... 79 red shiner, Notitopis tanens-is (Baird and Girard) ............... 85 fathead minnow, Pimephaes imometaz (Rafinesque) ................. 88 channel catfish, Ictamws punctatws (Rafinesque) ................. 91 yellow bullhead, Ictatultu3 natati6 (Le sueur) ....................... 98 black bullhead, letatuAto maws (Rafinesque) ......................... 102 Rio Grand killifish,Fundutm zeiminws (Jordan and Gilbert) 104 mosOitofish, Gambu4ia abiiiviz (Baird and Girard) ............... 106 str4ed bass, Monone 4axatiti4 (Walbaum) ................................ 111 largemouth bass, Kinoptenws 6atmoide (Lacepede) ................. 122 blutgill, Leponbs macnochi4to ( Rafinesque) ............................ 131 green sunfish, ChaenobAyttto cganeftws (Rafinesque) 135 black crappie, Pomoxi4 prigumaCutatuz (Le sueur) .................. 141 green sunfish, ChaenobAuttus cyancteu6 x bluegill, Lepombs manockinas (hybrid) .......................................... 147 Hypothetical occurrences ................................................................................... 148 native species ................................................................................................. Little Colorado Riverspinedace, Lep-cdomeda vittata ( Cope) .... 148 Virgin River spinedace, Lepidomeda mottioini4 motti4pin,i4 (Miller and Hubbs) ............................................................................. 148 Moapa dace, Moapa cotiacea (Hubbs and Miller) .............................. 151 woundfin, Reagopteku4 akgenti44imws (Cope) .............................. 151 humpback chub, Gita cypha (Miller) .................................................... 152 bonytail chub, Gita etegan4 (Baird and Girard) ............................ 153 roundtail chub, Gita Aobu.sta (Baird and Girard) .......................... 154 Colorado River squawfish, PtychocheituA tuciu4 (Girard) ........ 155 Gila mountain-sucker, Panto4teto ctaitki (Baird and Girard) .... 156 flannelmouth sucker, Cato4tomm tatippin,bs x razorback (humpback) sucker, Xytauchen texanws (hybrid) .................... 157 introduced species ......................................................................................... 158 freshwater eel, Anguitta 0 ............................................................ 158 "walking" catfish, CtaAxiais batAachm (Linnaeus) .......................... 158 green swordtail, Xiphophotws hetteni (Heckel) .............................. 159 southern platyfish, Xipop1Loku4 macutatws (Gunther) .................. 159 smallmouth bass, Micupteuz dotomieui (Lacepede) ...................... 159 walleye, Stizostedion vititeum bitneum (Mitchill) ........................ 159 convict cichlid, Cichtazoma nigAo6cociatum (Gunther) ................ 160 banded cichlid, Cichtazoma 6evekum (Heckel) .................................. 160 goldfish, Canzoiclis au/Latta (Linnaeus) ............................................ 160 golden shiner, Notemigonto ciftooteucu6(Mitchill) .................... 160 redside shiner, Richatdzoniws batteatu4 hydrophlox (Cope) ..... 161 leatherside chub, Gita copei (Jordan and Gilbert) ...................... 161 Utah chub, Gita atkania (Girard) ........................................................ 162 mountain-sucker, Pantoztews ptatykhynchuis ( Cope) ........................ 162 Utah sucker, Catoztomm aulews (Jordan and Gilbert) .................. 162 longjaw mudsucker, Gitticht1iy4 miAab.i.VA (Cooper) ...................... 163 mottled sculpin, Cottws baindi ( Girard) .......................................... 163 brook trout, Savetimus iontinat,i.A (Mitchill) .............................. 164 coho (silver) salmon, Oncothynchuz ki6utch (Walbaum) ................ 164 cutthroat trout, Satmo ctakki (Richardson) .................................... 165 brown trout, Satmo tkutta (Linnaeus) ........................................ 165 bowcutt trout, Satmo gaiAdneti (male) x Satmo ctanki (female) 167 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................................... 168 11 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Summary of fish stocking records for Lake Mead, Arizona- Nevada, 1935-1977 ...7 2 List of higher aquatic plants found in Lake Mead, Arizona- Nevada, from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, 1978-1979 ... 13 3 Sampling stations for zooplankton from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon in Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ........ 17 4 Abundance estimates of limnetic zooplankton in Lake Mead, Arizona-NOvada, from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, 1978-1979 ..................................................... 19 5 Sampling stations for benthic invertebrates from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon in Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ..................................................... 21 6 List of benthic invertebrate taxa collected from Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1977-1978 ..................................... 22 7 The numbers of benthic invertebrates collected from 26 transects across the littoral zone of Lake Mead from Spencer Creek to Boulder Canyon, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ...................... 24 Abundance estimates of benthic invertebrates in Lake Mead collected from the littoral zone at 26 locations from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, 1977-1978 ........................... 31 9 Relative abundance of benthic invertebrate organisms collected from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona- Nevada, 1977-1978 ............................................. 32 10 Sampling stations for fish populations from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon in Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ..... 33 11 Numbers of each fish species collected at 57 sampling locations from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona- Nevada, 1978-1979 ............................................. 36 12 Summary of seine collecting data from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 .......... 39 13 Summary of trammel and gill netting data from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ....... 40 14 Summary of electroshocking data from Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ..................................................... 41 15 Relative abundance of 19 fish species collected from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 . 42 111 LIST OF TABLES (Cont.) Table Page 16 List of fish parasites from Lakes Mead and Mohave (From Roden 1978) .......................................... 44 17 Parasites of the Lake Mead fishes collected from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ............ 45 18 Summary of observations and collections of razorback suckers in Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1967-1979 ...................... 54 19 Length, weight and condition factor data of Lake Mead fishes collected from Separation Rapids to Boulder Canyon, Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ................................... 55 20 Fecundity estimates of 13 channel catfish from Lake Mead, Arizona-Nevada, 1978-1979 ..................................